Shock absorber



March 18, 1930. H. o. FLETCHER SHOCK ABSORBER Filed Dec'. 3l, 1,924

.I/vVEA/TOR;

Patented Mar. is, 193e j 1,750,711A

UNITE STATES ATENT OFFICE HENRY O, FLETCHER, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT SHOCK nnsonnnn Application filed A"eeember 31, 1924. Serial No. 759,069.

One object of my invention is to produce the fluid to flow from chamber 19, to chama shock-absorber after careful experiments, ber 18. that will reduce each and every abnormal When the segment 5, is rocked clockwise or movement of a vehicle body to a minimum. anti-clockwise, toward its normal position the Another Object is t0 facilitate the Operw fluid Cannot pass through either ValVe 9, 01 55 tion of attaching the absorber to the vehicle. valve 14, but is confined to pass through the Still other objects are tosimplify the coneccentrically formed groove 20, in the periphstruction, to reduce the number of parts, elimery of the segmental arm 5. Therefore, the inate wear, obviate the possibility of getting segmental arm 5, is free toI move unchecked out of order, and cheapen cost of manufaein either direction from its normal position 6o ture. after the upper ends of the holes 7 or 12, as In the drawings Fig. 1 is a front elevation, the case may be, pass clear of the ledge 3, but parts being broken away for clearness of ilis checked in its movements in either direc lustration. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is a tion toward its normal position. l front elevation showing a method of attach- The groove 20, is shallow at either end and ing to a vehicle. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation deepens toward the middle so that the resisttaken on line rit-A, Fig. 1. Figs. 5, and 6, ance offered to the movement of the arm 5, are end and side elevations respectively of toward its normal position is greater at a the valve. Figs. 7 and 8 are end and secdistance from normal position and progrestional elevations respectively of the valve sively decreases as the normalposition is ap- 7U cage. Figs. 9 and 10 are side elevations repreached. spectively of the adjusting pin and adjusting The sides of the adjusting pin 21, is slabbed screw. olic on either side at one end to form a thin Referring more especially to Fig. 1 the vane 22, which protrudes into the groove 20, case or body 1,is provided with the stationary offering very little resistance to the flow of 75 partition 2, and the protruding ledge 3. The fluid when adjusted parallel to the groove shaft 4, is provided with the segmental arm but when turned by the short adjusting arm 5, preferably made integral with shaft 4. 23, fast on adjusting pin 21, the vane 22, turns The segmental arm 5, is provided on one at an angle with groove 20, practically closing side with hole 7, counterbored to form valve it thus adjusting` the flow of the fluid andthe 50 seat 8, which is engaged by valve 9, when amount of resistance offered to arm 5, as it closed. The valve cage 10, is preferably approaches from either direction towardlnorscrewed into the counterbored pocket 11, to mal position. The vane 22, is long enough to hold the valve 9, in place and to properly limit nearly touch the bottom of groove 20, at the its movement. ends but allows more space for the flow of 3* The hole 12, valve seat 13,valve 14, cage 15, fluid as the deeperportion of groove 20, is and pocket 16, are provided on the other side reached. of the segmental arm 5, similarly as described rlhe holes 7 and 12, where they intersect above. the surface of arm 5, are elliptical in form ow- The body 1, is filled with a suitable fluid ing to their tangential arrangement and hence 90 and sealed by the cover 17 so t1 nat when the are slightly wider than the distance between shaft 4, is rocked clockwise from lits northe adjacent sides ofthe adjustinvr screws 24 mal position, as shown in Fig. 1, valve 14, will and 25, so that when adjusting screws 24 and open allowing the fluid to flow from chamber 25 are adjusted back to allow o-pen spaces be- 18, to chamber 19, in the body 1, the shalt 4, tween the ends of these screws and the periphand segmental arm 5, being a close lit between ery of arm 5, the valves 9 and 14, will both partition 2, and ledge 3, to prevent the fluid remain open during the movements for a flowingbetwecn thesemembers. In like manshort distance of arm 5, in either direction,

o ner, when the shaft 4, and arm 5, are rocked thus providing' an unrestricted zione action anti-clockwise, valve 9, will open allowing in both directions.v

When adjusting screws 24 and 25, are both adjusted inward to their extreme position as shown in Fig. l, their respective tangs 26 will lill in the portions of the holes intersecting the opposite edges of the ledge 3 so as to thus make the eli'ective distance between the said edges considerably greater than the width of holes 'l' and l2, which acts to prevent any fluid from flowing by either valve during the movements of arm 5, in either direction which acts to establish a slightly restricted zone during its movements in both directions.

It will be noticed that each of the adjusting screws 24 and 25, are slabbed ofi on one Side, t0 Precluce a Substantially semi-.circular tang 26, as shown in Fig. l0, which are turned toward each other when adjust-ed to their extreme position thus establishing the @stent Ot' the. restrieted 2.011@ Spoken of above, but upon turning slightly they will act to shorten the restricted zone, and a .quarter turn of either screw will open a half of the width of the hole for the flow of fluid to full back position. Thus to turn adjusting screw 24, a quarter turn will eliminate the p art of restricted zone at the right, and a quarter turn of screw 25, will eliminate the part of the restricted Zone at the left Fig. l.

rlhus it will be seen that by adjusting one or both of adjusting screws 24 and 25, that any action of resistance may beaccoinplished from an unrestricted `Zone of action both directions, an unrestricted Zone one way and restricted zone the other, to` a restricted z one in both directions, all of which have been found desirable to meet the requirements of the various spring suspensions of vehicles.

By the foregoing it will be seen that when the vehicle wheels engage a hole or ridge in the road, that the initial motion of the axle 29, will impart a motion to lever 28, and arm 5, (see dotted lines Fig. 3) away from normal position which is unchecked but when the vehicle body tends to suddenly follow due to the action of the spring that these sudden actions will be suitably checked or modified by the 'closing of the valves. con-A ning the flow of fluid to.. groove 20 which flow is governed by vane 22', and adjusting screws 24v and 25.

Having described my invention what I claim as new is set forth the4 following claims:

l. In a shock absorber, two, members relatively movable in relation to` each other, one of said members constituting a liquid conta'inervr vand theother member dividing said @elitfn intetv Chambers. maa-11ste permit free passage of the,l liquid from one. chamber tio/the other during the relative movement of the two members in either direction away from their normal positionLmeans to restrict the flow of the liquid to aI passage varying in size as they return in either direct-ioni toward their normal position, and means to adjust the size of said passage.

2. In a shock absorber, a body comprising two chambers adapted to contain a fluid, an arcuate oscillating piston mounted between said chambers and normally held near central position, valves adapted to allow free flow of fluid from one chamber to the other as the piston moves in either direction away from normal position, and a groove of progressively differentiated cross-sectional area in the periphery of said piston, to allow decreasingly restricted flow of the fluid between the chambers while the piston moves in either direction toward normal position.

3. In a shock absorber, a body comprising two chambers adapted to contain a fluid, an arcuate oscillating piston mounted between said chambers normally held near central position, valves adapted to allow free flow of fluid from one chamber to the other while the piston moves in eitherdirection away from normal position, a groove of progressively differentiated cross-sectional area in the periphery of said piston to allow decreasingly restricted flow of the fluid between the chambers as the piston moves in either direction toward normal position, and means to adjust said restricted flow.

4. In a shock absorber, a body comprising two compartments and adapted to contain a fluid, an oscillating piston mounted between said chambers normally held near its central position, means to retard the movements of said piston by regulating the flow of fluid between the chambers, in either, or both, directions within a predetermined zone at, or near, its normal position and allow free movement in either direction away from said zone, and adjustable means to retard its movements in either direction toward said zone.

5. In a shock absorber, two members normally held within a predetermined Zone near their relative central position, means to resist their relative movement in either, or both, directions within said zone and to allow free relative movement in either direction away .from said zone, and means to resist their relative movement in either direction toward said zione.

6. In a shock absorber, two members normally held within a predetermined zone near their relative central position, means to resist their relative movement in either, or both, directions within said zone, and means to decreasingly resist their relative movement in either direction toward said zone.

In a shock absorber, two members normally held within a Zone near their relative central position, meansto resist their relative movement in either, or both, directions within said zone, means to resist their relative nio-vement in either direction toward said zone, and means to adjust said resistances.

8. In a shook absorber, a body element comprising tWo compartments and adapted to contain a ud, a piston adapted to oscillate between the compartments of the body element, a groove in the surface of the piston adjacent the body element through which the fluid passes from one of said chambers to the other as the piston osollates n the body element, and a rotatable vane o mounted in the body element and extending into said groove to adjust the flow of Huid from one chamber to the other.

In Witness whereof I hereunto set my hand.

HENRY O. FLETCHER. 

